Game apparatus



United States Patent GAME APPARATUS John R. Sitton, In, Houston, Tex.

Application September 22, 1954, Serial No. 457,683

4 Claims. (Cl. 273-134 This invention relates generally to amusement games and, more particularly, to games of the type wherein a playing board is employed in connection with playing pieces.

It is an object of my invention to provide an amusement game which is both instructive and interesting and which is designed to tax and develop the business and financial skill and acumen of the players.

It is a further object of my invention to provide a game related to an industry that is the subject of current, international intrigue.

It is a further object of my invention to provide a game which may be continued over a comparative long period of time so as to provide a full evenings entertainment.

It is a further object of my invention to provide a game apparatus which is simple and economical in construction and which is durable, compact and readily portable.

In carrying out my invention, I provide a portable board which has depicted thereon several uranium mining areas. Arranged within the mining areas are game pieces representing pieces of ore which may be claimed in response to a throw of a pair of dice. I also provide a testing device or Geiger counter to check the claimed ore for radio-activity since under the rules of my game the owner of uranium containing ore is entitled to royalty payments in play money.

While my invention may take difierent specific forms, I have shown in the accompanying drawing a typical embodiment from which the details of my invention will be better understood when viewed in connection with the following description.

In the drawings, Fig. l is a plan view of a game board forming part of my present invention; Fig. 2 is a perspec tive view in partial section of a testing device forming part of my game; Fig. 3 is a section view of a game piece representing a piece of ore containing radium; and Fig. 4 is a section view of a game piece representing a piece of ore without uranium content.

Referring now to the drawings and particularly toFig. l the board-1 of the present game is preferably square in configuration and may, if' desired, be formed of two sections hinged at 2 so that it may be folded to facilitate storage and portability.

The playing face of the board 1 may, if desired, be painted or otherwise decorated to present a mountain scene or other appropriate landscape interrupted by a plurality of mining areas or ore piles 3 delineated on the surface of the board 1. Preferably, each mining area or ore pile 3 is depicted in a different color to facilitate identification thereof, it being contemplated that each player must elect at each turn that mining area in which he will concentrate his prospecting activities. Each mining area 3 is further divided into claim sections 4. The claim sections 4 of each ore pile 3 are numbered or lettered to facilitate their selection by means of a numerical selector to be used with the game. For example, the claim form of testing device or Geiger counter 12.

sections may be numbered from 2 to 12 to correspond with and include all the possible sums of indicia that may be thrown with a conventional pair of cubical dice. Similarly, the sections may be selected by drawing cards or by means of a spinner.

In each of the four corners of the board 1 is a square 5 marked purchased ore where ore that has been purchased or claimed from the ore piles 3 may be stored until tested for radioactivity, as hereinafter described. Finally, along each edge of the board 1 is a row of consecutively numbered spaces 6 entitled royalty run and which represents the number of royalty payments due a player upon the discovery of radioactive ore.

It is obvious that my game board 1 may be modified.

in many respects. For example the number of mining areas 3 may be varied; or the purchased ore stock piles 5 and the royalty runs 6 may bedepicted on separate cards issued to each player.

Referring now to Figs. 3 and 4 there is shown the game pieces to be used in connection with my game' board 1 representing radioactive or uranium-containing ore 7 and valueless ore 8. All of the game pieces, however, are made to look exactly alike so that it is impossible to tell without testing, in the manner hereinafter described, whether a given piece of ore contains uranium or is valueless. The pieces of ore 7, 8 preferably comprise square or rectangular blocks 9 although they may be made of any other desired shape without departing from the scope of my invention. The blocks 9, however,

should be made of some non-conductive material such as;

useless ore are not connected. Thus, this ore is incapable of passing an electric current.

Referring now to Fig. 2. there is shown a suggested tery 16 is a metal contact plate 17 which is connected by a conductor 18 to a terminal plate 19 extending outwardly from one side of the box 13. Spaced from terminal plate 19 a distance substantially equal to the distance between contact posts 10 of a game piece 7 or 8,

is a second teminal plate 20 connected by electrical con- It is obvious that, instead of the flashlight battery 16 my Geiger counter may be adapted to operate with equal efiicacy in connection with ordinary household current. In any event, when the gap between terminal plates 19 and 20 is bridged by an electrical coductor the bulb 22 will be lighted and indicated through the window 14.

It is also contemplated that my Geiger counter may include, instead of electrical means, magnetic means to accept or reject ore which also contains a permanent magnet. If an ore piece is placed in the magnetic Geiger counter it will be accepted as valuable ore only if it is attracted thereto. Thus, the selection of valuable ore is dependent upon the disposition of its poles when it is inserted in the Geiger counter. h

The operation of my invention may best be under stood by considering a brief rsum of the rules of the game.

Two to four players may participate with one participant being designated as the banker. To start the game the banker gives each player a designated amount of money and the pieces of ore 7 and 8 are placed on the mining areas 3 so that one is situated on each of the claim sections 4. The participants may then determine, as by throwing the dice, who is to have the opportunity to play first. dice, a particular mining area or ore pile 3, each of which is a different color, in which he elects to prospect or stake his claim. Upon throwing the dice the player is entitled to purchase from the bank at a certain sum the particular piece of ore, if available, from the claim section 4 of the chosen mining area 3, which is indicated by the reading of the dice. Ore that is purchased by a participant is stored in his purchased ore stock pile 5, which would be on the lower left hand corner of the board as he faces it.

At any turn a player may elect, rather than to try to purchase ore, to test the ore he has already purchased by paying a certain sum to the bank and placing the ore between the terminal plates 19 and 20 of the Geiger counter 12. A player may either test or prospect at each turn, but not both. If the bulb 22 lights, then the ore contains uranium and the player places the ore 7 on space No. 1 under royalty runs 6 and immediately receives a certain sum from the bank. Each turn thereafter, before he throws the dice, the player moves the ore to the next royalty run and collects a certain sum from the bank as royalty until he has made all ten royalty runs. After completion of all ten royalty runs, the ore is declared worked and laid aside until the next game. it, prior to throwing the dice, the player does not move his ore to the next royalty run and request payment, any player may declare this oversight and receive the royalty money as a fee.

Of course, if when testing the ore 7 or 8 the bulb 22 fails to light, the ore is declared valueless and is laid aside until the next game.

The game terminates when the last piece of ore has been tested, the player testing the last piece receiving a certain bonus from the bank and, in the event the ore is radio-active, the bonus is multiplied. The person who has the most money at the end of the game is declared the winner.

In addition to the above, I contemplate other miscellaneous rules regulating the transfer of ore and money all of which are calculated to make the game more interesting.

While I have shown a preferred embodiment of my invention it is shown by way of illustration only and it is obvious that many variations and modifications thereof may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention. For example, in at least some of the ore piles 3 a game piece 7 or 8 may be left off of certain claim numbers 4. Whereupon by throwing the number assigned to that particular claim section the player will be required to draw an instruction card (not shown) and be directed accordingly. Additionally, the ore may, if desired be selected by drawing cards" on game cards or by the operation of any conventional selector means.

It is obvious that many other modifications and variations may be made and I therefore contemplate by the At his turn a player selects, before throwing the appended claims to cover any such modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of my invention.

Having described my invention I claim: 1. In a uranium mining game apparatus, a board having depicted thereon a plurality of irregular mining areas divided into eleven claim sections numbered with all the possible sums of indicia of a pair of conventional cubical dice employed in playing the game and a plurality of rows of working spaces representing royalty payment periods, the spaces of each of said rows being progressivcly numbered, a plurality of movable game pieces representing ore, all of said game pieces being identical in appearance but only certain ones thereof being eligible for placement upon said working spaces, said certain ones being capable of passing an electric current therethrough, and current responsive means representing a Geiger counter for identifying said certain ones of said game pieces.

2. In a game apparatus including a board having delineated thereon a plurality of sections, each of said sections being numbered with a possible numerical sum of a conventional pair of cubical dice, a plurality of movable game pieces, all of said game pieces being identical in appearance and each one of said game pieces comprising an opaque body of con-conductive material, a pair of spaced contact posts on said body and, on certain ones of said game pieces, an electrical conductor hidden within the body of only certain ones of said game pieces, and a testing device comprising a normally open electrical circuit including current responsive indicating means and a pair of spaced terminals, said circuit being closed only by interposing between said spaced terminals one of said playing pieces which includes an electrical conductor.

3. A game apparatus comprising a board having delineated thereon a plurality of areas, each of said areas being divided into eleven sections, said sections being numbered with all the possible numerical sums of a conventional pair of cubical dice, a plurality of movable game pieces, each of said game pieces being positioned within one of said sections, each of said game pieces being identical in appearance to all other game pieces and comprising a body of opaque non-conductive material, a pair of spaced conductive contact posts extending from said body and, in only certain of said game pieces, an electrical conductor within said body interconnecting said contact posts, and testing means to determine which of said game pieces includes one of said conductors.

4. The game apparatus defined in claim 3 wherein said testing means comprises a current responsive signal means in a normally open circuit with a source of electrical current and a pair of spaced terminals adapted to engage simultaneously the pair of contact posts on one of said game pieces.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,372,570 Smith Mar. 22, l92l 1,461,633 Stansbury July 10, 1923 2,128,810 Fortine Aug. 30, 1938 2,299,803 Deaton Oct. 27, 1942 2,474,365 Munn June 28, l949 2,501,548 Street Mar. 2], 1950 2,526,300 Tadd Oct. 17, 1950 2,588,559 Needham Mar. ll, 1952 

